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Coyotes-Wolves-Cougars.blogspot.com

Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars/ mountain lions,bobcats, wolverines, lynx, foxes, fishers and martens are the suite of carnivores that originally inhabited North America after the Pleistocene extinctions.
This site invites research, commentary, point/counterpoint on that suite of native animals (predator and prey) that inhabited The Americas circa 1500-at the initial point of European exploration and subsequent colonization.
Landscape ecology, journal accounts of explorers and frontiersmen, genetic evaluations of museum animals, peer reviewed 20th and 21st century research on various aspects of our "Wild America" as well as subjective commentary from expert and layman alike. All of the above being revealed and discussed with the underlying goal of one day seeing our Continent rewilded.....Where big enough swaths of open space exist with connective corridors to other large forest, meadow, mountain, valley, prairie, desert and chaparral wildlands.....Thereby enabling all of our historic fauna, including man, to live in a sustainable and healthy environment. - Blogger Rick

Compromise important for wolf management

"Because we are their only voice" We, the people of the 'Wolves Of The Rockies' organization support the recent decision to close all wolf hunting and trapping in two small but important geographic areas north of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Our support is not an attack on the Montana Wolf Manage-ment Plan and the hunting season that is part of that plan. Our support is directed at protecting both the costly scientific investment being made in wolf research, and at protecting the legitimate interests of wildlife viewers who come to the park from all over the world to see wolves among other wildlife of the park.

We are not advocating the end of wolf hunting. We have only asked for a slight modification to the state wolf management plan to accommodate other legitimate values in this specific locale. Remember, regardless of one's views on wildlife management policy, Montana's wildlife is owned by all the people not just hunters. That fact should not get lost amid the dust storm of rhetoric stirred up by the Commis-sion's action. By making the decision to close these areas, that do not contain any Montana resident wolves, the FWP Commission has given us at Wolves of the Rockies some hope. Hope that we can at last find ways to work together with hunters and other wildlife interests to meet human needs while serving both wildlife viewers and users alike.

Wolves on the "fly" pursuing Elk

So really… are we that different in the overall goal that we cannot come together and find the balance necessary to keep us from bouncing in and out of litigation? Must we forever take our failures to cooper-ate to federal court? The preservationist and conservationist have a very common thread – we all believe in the sustainability of this land, our land here in Montana.

We at Wolves of the Rockies understand and acknowledge the importance of hunting as a tool for managing wolves, and we stand beside the ethical hunter in doing so. We also value science which cre-ates data to make the best possible choices in the sustainability and viability of all wildlife.

Therefore, we stand firmly by those who conduct scientific research for the benefit of all.
As we move forward with the Montana Wolf Management Plan it is inevitable that we will encounter obstacles and disputes. Managing wolves is a new experience for Montana and often you will hear biolo-gists use the phrase "learn as we go" when discussing wolf management. Well, we have encountered a disputed obstacle in how to treat wolves moving in and out of YNP -specifically, the large-scale killing of collared wolves just outside the park boundaries.

These YNP wolves were collared at great effort and expense to provide important information to both the park and the surrounding states for ecological studies, conservation and management purposes. This invaluable data that the Yellowstone Wolf Project provides includes; tracking wolf movements, the study of the wolf-prey dynamic and the ecosystem effects wolves have, reproduction and mortality, obtaining counts, and allow both the park and the states to track the movement of wolves in areas with livestock operations. While these park wolves benefit science they also have a substantial economic effect on businesses surrounding the northern territory of YNP such as; outfitters, hotels, tour guides, restaurants and stores. These include, but are not limited to the towns of Bozeman, Livingston and Gardiner.

Puma successfully kills deer

We are very aware of concern among hunters about elk populations around the Park. Many factors are negatively impacting the total number of ungulates, some of which we cannot control. We have frag-mented lands and habitat, and drought conditions that suppress important nutritional flora for the sustainability and viability of our wildlife. This list is long and dreadful. Now let's look at the things we can control; we can set quotas, create wildlife management units, improve habitat and water quality, change accessibility to lands, acquire and preserve land for future generations.

Perhaps the most important thing we can, and must control, is our anger over the few personal differ-ences that divide we Montanans on wildlife goals. A bit of chilling out with some civil dialogue would be for the common good of all our wildlife, and for our future generations of Montanans. Whether you are walking your dog on the many trails, hunting, fishing, saddling up or viewing and photographing wild-life, we all need a slice of what Montana has to offer us.

Two Massachusetts Eastern Coyotes at their den site

Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Aldo Leopold--3 quotes from his SAN COUNTY ALMANAC

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

Aldo Leopold

''To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."

Wildlife Rendezvous

Like so many conscientious hunters and anglers come to realize, good habitat with our full suite of predators and prey make for healthy and productive living............Teddy Roosevelt depicted at a "WILDLIFE RENDEZVOUS"

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Blog Disclaimer

This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of my various thoughts and opinions, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Rick Meril and WWW.COYOTES-WOLVES-COUGARS.COM make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.